Content Strategy for the Web by Kristina Halvorson My rating: 4 of 5 stars This content strategy primer has both theory and application. It explains the problem, how to perform discovery, how to form strategy, and how to implement the strategy. It's well-organized and well-written, with just enough humor for this type of book. The […]
Book Yourself Solid: The Fastest, Easiest, and Most Reliable System for Getting More Clients Than You Can Handle Even If You Hate Marketing and Selling by Michael Port My rating: 5 of 5 stars This is one of the best sales and marketing books for service professionals that I've read. It walks you through how […]
Book review and summary of "The Design of Everyday Things" by Donald A. Norman.
Rocket Surgery Made Easy: The Do-It-Yourself Guide to Finding and Fixing Usability Problems by Steve Krug My rating: 3 of 5 stars An easy-to-read guide to doing your own inexpensive usability testing. I liked Krug’s humorous writing and entertaining use of quotations, and the book's cartoons make it even easier to understand. I didn't find it as […]
Do It! Marketing: 77 Instant-Action Ideas to Boost Sales, Maximize Profits, and Crush Your Competition by David Newman My rating: 5 of 5 stars This is an actionable, motivating guide to small business marketing. It instantly became one of my favorite marketing books. I agree with Newman’s approach; it fits the way I like to […]
WordPress All-In-One for Dummies by Lisa Sabin-Wilson My rating: 3 of 5 stars A broadly informative WordPress book, covering installation, administration, publishing, SEO and social media, design, development, and Network/Multisite. Because it covers so many topics, it doesn't get very deep into any of them. You'll want to read more focused WordPress books (or websites) for […]
Getting Real: The Smarter, Faster, Easier Way to Build a Web Application by 37 Signals My rating: 4 of 5 stars The book is written for those who create web applications, but as a web designer who creates WordPress websites, I found plenty of relevant advice about planning, project management, client relations, hiring, and productivity. […]
Manage Your Day-To-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus, and Sharpen Your Creative Mind by Jocelyn K. Glei My rating: 3 of 5 stars This book tells creatives (designers, writers, artists, etc.) how to better manage their time to give priority to creativity. It's current and practical while still presenting timeless principles. It covers several […]
WordPress Web Design for Dummies by Lisa Sabin-Wilson My rating: 4 of 5 stars An updated version of the worthwhile 1st edition on designing and building WordPress-based sites. It covers installation, administration, basic theme development, and plugin use. It features colorful code snippets and screenshots. Most examples use the Twenty Thirteen theme. I liked Chapter […]
Smashing WordPress: Beyond the Blog by Thord Daniel Hedengren My rating: 3 of 5 stars This book is mostly a how-to guide for creating WordPress themes and plugins, and generally bending WordPress to your will. The book is laid out well, with colored blocks of code interspersed with the text describing it. It could have […]
WordPress for Dummies by Lisa Sabin-Wilson My rating: 3 of 5 stars This book is best suited for WordPress users, but there are a few chapters for developers. Designers and developers are better served by WordPress Web Design for Dummies and WordPress All-In-One for Dummies. I’m a web designer who creates WordPress sites for small […]
HTML5 For Web Designers by Jeremy Keith My rating: 3 of 5 stars I found this very short HTML5 primer too shallow. It barely scratches the surface of HTML5, but I suppose that was the intent. I enjoyed the fact that it describes the creation of HTML5 in more detail than other HTML5 books I've […]
